Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate Bar Guide

1. The Sweeter End

With flavours

Two of the stand-out favourites amongst visitors and Guides alike are two 65% chocolates with added fruit - Duffy’s Raspberry is bursting with red fruit flavour and has a bit of texture while MIA’s Baobab has a beautiful tangy sweetness, with crunchy cacao nibs in a super smooth chocolate.

Just chocolate

For pure single-origin chocolate without added flavours, Bare Bones’ 70% Madagascar with its maple syrup and jam notes and Coco’s Columbian (61%) are on the sweeter end. If your palate sits at the sweeter end of dark, definitely take a look at some ‘dark milk’ chocolates made with milk but also have a high cacao content from around 45% to 60% cacao.

2. Like a 70% Dark Chocolate

With flavours

If a 70% dark chocolate is about the right sweet-bitter balance for you then Chocolate Tree’s Super Nuts is generously sprinkled with hazelnuts, almonds, cashews and walnuts. Try the incredibly moreish Sour Cherry from Conscious chocolate for a fudgy texture you might not have experienced before. If you’d like smooth, organic chocolate Seed & Bean have a range of flavoured dark bars to choose from and if you are looking for something different but lovely, we highly recommend Charlotte Flower’s Scots Pine for its subtle, fresh and jammy flavours. Finally, if you love chilli or spiced chocolate, there’s a wide range of dark chocolates with varying spice levels.

Just chocolate

From all the bean-to-bar dark craft chocolates, here are three that have quite distinctive tastes - Willie’s Cacao’s Surabaya Indonesian 69% has hints of smoke, Duffy’s Corazon 72% from Ecuador has subtle biscuit notes and Chocolate Tree’s 70% Piura from Peru is often described by visitors as having honey or citrus notes.

3. Extra Dark Chocolate

With flavours

Forever Cacao’s small but absolutely delicious melt-in-the-mouth bars are a real treat for those looking for extra bitterness. Their 80% Coffee and 72% Wild Orange add flavour but not sweetness. For those that like Islay Whisky, you must try Chocolate Tree’s Whisky Nibs (made with Laphroaig single malt) at least once! If you like fruit and nut in your chocolate, Willies 100% chocolate with added raisins and hazelnuts for a very light touch of sweetness are popular with extra dark chocolate lovers.

Just chocolate

For subtle nutty notes, the 85% Porcelana is a smooth treat and MIA’s relatively new 85% Ghana has a super smooth mouthfeel with earthy hints.

4. The Darkest 100%

For a nutty taste and slightly gummy mouthfeel, there’s Willie's Cacao 100%. For a slightly fruity, more approachable and smooth bar, MIA’s Madagascar might hit the spot. For a smooth, buttery mouthfeel, Chocolate Tree add a generous portion of additional cocoa butter to their single-origin Belize Black 100% bar.

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